The demonstration of the “Alliance against the NATO Security Conference” at the Stachus began on Saturday afternoon not loudly, but quietly. With a minute’s silence for the victims of the wars and for the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. The Munich Security Conference is a special one this year because there is a war in Europe and there is great suffering in the world. And the protest is different this time. Several groups of left and right participants are demonstrating in Munich.
At the Stachus, people hold up placards that read: “Create peace without weapons”. They wave rainbow flags with the words “Pace” written on them. John Lennon’s anthem “Imagine” is played on stage. Organizer Claus Schreer shouted from the stage: “We are against weapons in general. We clearly distance ourselves from nationalists.”
The big day of demonstrations against the security conference in Munich began in the morning at the Old Botanical Garden – with a confrontation. The Munich AfD had called for a rally there with the head of the right-wing extremist Compact magazine. More than a hundred left-wing counter-demonstrators gathered at the barriers and chanted “Fascist pack” and “Nazi plague”. There was a scuffle. “Munich is colorful”, Jusos and the “Omas gegen Rechts” demonstrated against the right-wing march, which, in addition to peace doves and pro-Russian slogans, also included “Ami go home” signs and a poster showing the Jewish billionaire George Soros and the President of Ukraine were portrayed as an octopus – an anti-Semitic cipher.
Some posters at the AfD rally are anti-Semitic.
(Photo: Lorenz Mehrlich/Lorenz Mehrlich)
Around noon, the participants in the AfD demonstration moved on to the lateral thinkers scene on Königsplatz. There is a great influx there, there is great cheering for a video message by the Swiss conspiracy ideologist Daniele Ganser.
Andreas Franken, press spokesman for the Munich police, had previously suspected that there would be several “neuralgic points” in the city center this Saturday. The police headquarters has deployed 4,500 police officers from all federal states to protect the security conference and the ten major demonstrations. “Several tens of thousands on Munich’s streets” are conceivable, said Franken on Saturday morning.
The fact that more police than ever before was gathered at a security conference was also evident at Odeonsplatz. The police vans are lined up side by side and the police officers are lined up. Ukrainians living in Germany have been gathering here since 2 p.m. The place was already full at 12:00 p.m. The dominant colors are yellow and blue, with Ukrainian flags waving everywhere in the sun. In Ukrainian, English and German, the people are demanding support for their homeland, which was invaded by Russia.
Under the motto “Together against war”, politicians such as Anton Hofreiter (Greens), Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP) and Florian Hahn (CSU) will speak on the stage in front of the Feldherrnhalle. The Ukrainian Nobel Peace Prize winner Olexandra Matviychuk will also speak at the rally. The lawyer and human rights activist received the Nobel Prize last year for the Center for Civil Liberties she directs.
A police chain at Odeonsplatz is intended to prevent anything more than “controversial discussions” between Ukraine supporters and NATO opponents.
As early as 12 noon, a few hundred people demonstrated for independence and freedom in Iran on Max-Joseph-Platz. The police spoke of around 500 participants, the organizers of three times as many. The demand of the demonstrators: a liberal, democratic and nuclear-free republic.